• UMass has continued its hot start to the season and finds itself in the finals of the Charleston Classic following Friday's 81-65 win over No. 19/20 New Mexico. The Minutemen will meet unbeaten Clemson on Sunday at 9 p.m.• Fans unable to attend the game can watch on ESPN2, online at ESPN3/the Watch ESPN app, or listen to the radio call on the UMass Sports Network.• This is the 105th season of UMass Basketball. UMass has an all-time record of 1,212-1,071 (.537) in 2,283 games. UMass is 448-308 (.593) in conference games, including a 284-288 in Atlantic 10 play. The Minutemen have claimed 15 regular-season conference championships and five tournament titles.• The 2013-14 season marks the sixth for head coach Derek Kellogg ... Kellogg starred as a point guard for the Minutemen from 1992-95, playing for coach John Calipari ... Kellogg spent a year as a graduate assistant with Bruiser Flint at UMass, two years at George Mason with Jim Larranaga and eight at Memphis with Calipari, culminating with the 2008 NCAA Runner-up season ... UMass' win totals under Kellogg have gone 12, 12, 15, 25 and 21 last season with a second-consecutive NIT appearance.

UMASS IN REGULAR-SEASON TOURNAMENTS• The Minutemen have an all-time record of 80-69 in regular-season tournaments, including a 10-8 mark in Derek Kellogg's six years at the helm after Friday's victory.• UMass has posted a 1-2 record in similar 8-team bracketed events each of the last two seasons (1-2 in the inaugural Battle 4 Atlantis in 2011 and 1-2 at the Puerto Rico Tip Off last season).• The last regular-season tourney title for the Minutemen came three years ago when they defeated New Mexico State and TCU in Springfield for the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off crown.• The last 8-team event title came during the 1995-96 Final Four season. The John Calipari-coached Minutemen won the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii, with victories over NC State, USC and Syracuse.

SERIES HISTORY WITH CLEMSON & THE ACC• UMass and Clemson have met once before, with the Tigers claiming a 86-72 win in the semifinals of the 1984 Music City Invitational in Nashville.• The Tigers are the second ACC team for the Minutemen this season, following their season-opening 92-90 win over Boston College in the Coaches vs. Cancer Massachusetts Tripleheader.• UMass will now face three ACC teams in the regular-season this year. It is will meet Florida State in the Orange Bowl Classic on Dec. 21 in Sunrise, Fla. In Derek Kellogg's six seasons, the Minutemen have played nine games against the league - the most against any non-Atlantic 10 group - and compiled a 2-7 record.• The Minutemen have faced 14 current ACC members, compiling a 47-65 record against Boston College (20-26), Clemson (0-1), Duke (0-1), Florida State (3-3), Georgia Tech (1-0), Maryland, (4-2), Miami (0-4), North Carolina (1-4), NC State (3-1), Pittsburgh (3-10), Syracuse (7-8), Virginia (0-2), Virginia Tech (5-2) and Wake Forest (0-1). The only current member school the Minutemen have not faced is Notre Dame.

AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS• UMass is now 32-76 all-time vs. AP Top-25 teams with six wins since 2004. The Minutemen went 0-2 against ranked foes last season - losing to No. 6/6 NC State in the Puerto Rico Tip Off and No. 25/22 VCU in the Atlantic 10 Championship semifinals. Their last win over a ranked team came against No. 21 Temple in the 2012 A-10 quarterfinals.• Derek Kellogg is 3-10 against Top 25 teams (wins over No. 25 Kansas in Kansas City on 12/25/09 and No. 21 Temple in Atlantic City on 3/9/12).

UMASS LEFTOVERS FROM THE NEW MEXICO GAME• UMass improved to 5-0 on the season for the 13th time in school history but just the fourth time in the last 35 seasons (1991-92, 1995-96 & 2010-11).• UMass has opened the season scoring at least 80 points in each of it's first five games for the first time in school history.• UMass improved to 32-76 all-time against AP-ranked opponents and 3-10 in Derek Kellogg's six seasons. Kellogg's previous wins have been over No. 25 Kansas in Kansas City on 12/25/09 and No. 21 Temple in Atlantic City on 3/9/12.• UMass tied a season-high with five dunks (Boston College).• The Minutemen had 40-plus rebounds for the fifth-straight game and had the edge on the glass for the fourth time. They also turned 18 offensive boards into 19 second-chance points.• UMass set season highs in field goals made (32), 3-pointers made (7) and blocked shots (8).• UMass set or tied season lows in turnovers (13) and fouls (15).• UMass' eight steals and eight blocks were both the most by a UNM opponent this season.• UMass has handed each of its last four opponents their first loss of the season.• Five players (all 5 starters) scored in double figures for the second-consecutive game.• Junior C Cady Lalanne collected his third double-double of the year and ninth of his career with 12 points and 14 rebounds. He blocked a season-best four shots and played a career-high 35 minutes for the second time this year and third of his career (Youngstown State last week & Dayton in Feb. 2013).• Senior F Raphiael Putney had a team-high 20 points with a season-best three 3-pointers. It was his fourth-career 20-plus point game (22 vs. SLU on 1/28/12 and 20 each against at Miami-Ohio last season and 2012 Senior Day vs. Duquesne).

EXPERIENCE FACTOR• Derek Kellogg has mentioned that he will play the early part of the season with an eight-man rotation and will use the freshmen more and more as they develop. He has this luxury because his team is one of the most experienced in the country, with six of the first eight over 21 years old.

GORDON FAMILIAR WITH CHARLESTON CLASSIC• While playing in a new environment on a neutral floor can pose problems for some people, don't count UMass sophomore G Derrick Gordon among them. The Plainfield, N.J. native played in the event two years ago when he was a freshman at Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers dropped games to Tulsa, LSU and VCU before eventually righting the ship, winning the Sun Belt Tournament and an NCAA First Four game. Gordon started all three games and had 19 points, 19 rebounds and eight assists in the tourney.

UMASS SELECTED FOURTH IN A-10 PRESEASON POLL• UMass was selected fourth in the preseason Atlantic 10 Poll in a vote by media and coaches. VCU was a near unanimous choice for first as the Rams received 19 first place votes (out of 24 ballots). Defending regular-season and tournament champion Saint Louis took second in the poll as five voters picked the Billikens to repeat. La Salle was chosen third with 265 points, just ahead of the Minutemen's 236.• UMass senior guard Chaz Williams picked up a pair of honors as he was named preseason first team all-conference and to the all-defensive teams. The two-time first team all-league honoree from Brooklyn has averaged 16.2 points, 6.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds in two seasons as a Minuteman.

WILLIAMS NAMED TO BOB COUSY AWARD WATCH LIST

• UMass PG Chaz Williams was named to the initial group for the Bob Cousy Award Watch List that was announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame last month.• Williams is one of 46 Division I players named to the list, which recognizes the top point guard in men's college basketball.• The senior from Brooklyn, N.Y. has averaged 16.2 points and 6.8 assists in two seasons at UMass. His 473 assists rank fifth in school history and are 203 shy of the school record. Additionally, his assist total since arriving on campus from Hofstra is the second-highest nationally among D-I returnees.• This watch list of candidates is fluid with the potential for a student-athlete to be added or removed during the season, but will be narrowed down to a final 20 in early February, then the final five by early March. The winner will be presented the award on Championship Monday in Dallas at the Hall of Fame's Class of 2014 Announcement and Press Conference.